1 pound dried small red beans, picked over and rinsed
1 large smoked ham hock
1 smoked pigtail
1 small piece of smoked neckbone
4 strips smoked bacon
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, green part only, chopped, plus more for garnish
Red pepper sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 andouille sausages, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cups cooked white rice
Directions
Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator.
In a large heavy pot, ham hocks, smoked pig tail, smoked neckbone.
Fill pot with water (about 2 quarts) and boil until water has reduced by 1/3 about 20-30 minutes).
Drain the beans and add beans to pot with simmering meat.
In a separate pan, sauté bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble, and set aside.
Sauté sliced sausage until browned in pan with bacon drippings. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion, celery, green pepper, cayenne, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, green onions, The Spice King All Purpose Seasoning, several shakes of red pepper sauce, and liquid smoke.
Sauté until vegetables are flagrant and soft.
Add sautéed vegetable mixture to pot with simmering beans and meat.
Simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 1/2 hours. (You want the beans to be almost overcooked, like they are getting ready to burst.)
Stir the beans occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.
Add about 1 cup of water toward the end of cooking if the mixture appears too thick or dry.
Mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon (this makes the broth thick and creamy).
Toss in the sausages and cook for another 15 minutes to heat them through.
